Tuesday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 12 Wounded

At least two Iraqis were killed and 12 others were wounded in attacks.
Basra saw a rare attack. Meanwhile, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemitraveled
to Damascus to help mend relations that were damaged when Baghdad blamed Syria
for enabling deadly bombings last year. At the same time, Iraq has also improved
relations with Kuwait by appointing
its first ambassador in 20 years.

An arrest warrant
has been issued against Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for the 2003 murder
of a rival cleric. Although he had previously been accused of the murder of
Majid al-Khoie, that original warrant lapsed. It was renewed quietly nearly
a month ago in what some think is a political maneuver to undermine Sadrist
candidates. Only yesterday Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki denied
rumors that the warrant had been issued. Today, his office merely claimed they
were uninvolved in the warrant process.

In election news, Sunni voters have resigned
themselves to voting for alternative candidates after hundreds were banned on
alleged
ties to the Ba’ath Party; however, many are also expecting violence
to follow what they see as a tainted election. Separately, P.M. Maliki refocused
his campaign on future oil gains, likely courting voters in the south. Also,
a spokesperson for the Iraqiya bloc worries
that overseas polling centers are not being run properly.

A hand grenade was thrown at a café in Basra, where it wounded
eight students. Violence is severly underreported in Basra.

Fourteen bomb squad teams will patrolWassit province
polling stations, using bomb detectors. Officials have decided
not to impose a vehicle ban on election day. Also, two men were arrested
for tearing up campaign posters.